


Sorrow Without Solace

by Kimmimaru



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Character Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt No Comfort, broken noctis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 23:07:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13867920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmimaru/pseuds/Kimmimaru
Summary: Hurt Noct Week Day 4: Friendly FireNoctis makes a terrible mistake on the train to Gralea, a mistake that forces him to reevaluate his entire destiny...





	Sorrow Without Solace

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, not my best work but I'm coming down with a cold it seems so writing is difficult at the moment. I apologise for that. Still, I hope you enjoy what it is I have written.

 

Noctis stares at the scene before him; Prompto facing off against Ardyn as the train speeds towards it's final destination. He runs forward unthinkingly and disarms Ardyn. The gun flies up into the air and Noctis catches it. Fury courses through his veins as terrible and violent as Leviathan's waves. He turns. Aims. Then pulls the trigger.

  
The gun shot is loud, his target stumbles back several paces. Hands rise to clutch at the wound in his chest. Noctis lowers the gun, panting heavily as his target drops to his knees. Blood spills from parted lips and he lifts his head. Blue eyes widen in horror. Blood stains his fingers.  
  
Noctis' heart stalls. His throat threatens to close over. Slowly, realisation creeps over him. His blood turns to ice. His knees begin to lose all their strength. Something tears the air viciously from his lungs as he stumbles forward. His weapon falls uselessly from numb fingers. He drops to his knees at Prompto's side as his friends eyes roll back into his head and he topples back into Noctis' arms. “No...no...” Noctis whimpers, grabbing Prompto's shoulders and shaking him roughly, “No! Wake up! W-wake up damn it!”  
  
“How long were you in the dark?”  
  
Noctis chokes, head lowering as he holds Prompto close, he can't speak. He can't even move. He won't leave Prompto here, on top of a speeding train; not alone. He can't, he'll get hurt. He shakes him, ignoring Ardyn who watches with badly suppressed glee.  
  
“Oops,” Ardyn's chuckle went over Noctis' head as he wallows in his grief and shock, although he could hear him pacing, “What will your friends think? Their King, little more than a murderer! The horror!”  
  
Noctis let's Prompto gently fall back to the ground, he turns, weapon materialising from thin air as he swings his sword at Ardyn; a scream of pain and outrage escaping his lips. Ardyn laughs as the sword cuts straight through him before his image fades away. Noctis chokes, his sword falling from his hand as he turns back to Prompto's limp body, his head is tilted to one side, the wind blowing blond hair around his pale face. The wound is horrific; a bloody hole directly through the centre of his chest. Crimson soaks into his shirt, staining Noctis' hands as he tries uselessly to stop the bleeding.  
  
Noctis has no idea how long he sits there, cradling Prompto's body and staring out at the rushing scenery. His hands are numb and he's vaguely aware of the sun setting, already he can hear the eerie cries of daemons over the screech of the train's wheels. A vibration in his pocket yanks him back to the present, he reaches into his pocket and withdraws his phone. Automatically he answers it;

 

“ _Noct? Noct where are you?_ ”

 

“I-I...Iggy...” Noctis croaks, voice cracking as he looks down at his best friend. His eyes burn savagely and he lets out a keening, desperate wail. He bends his head over Prompto's chest and sobs, his words barely coherent, “...on top of the train...Ignis...p-please...Help me...”  
  
Finally Ignis speaks, “ _Stay where you are, Gladio's coming to get you._ ”  
  
Noctis grips his phone in one hand while the other tangles in Prompto's bloodied shirt, he lowers his head and waits for help. His tears begin to soak Prompto's clothes and sprinkle his cheeks, in the dying sunlight they look like precious gems. Prompto's white, lips parted, limp in Noctis' arms as he gently brushes hair from his cheek. His eyes are closed and he could be sleeping.  
  
“Noct?!”  
  
Heavy boots thud across the top of the train before Gladio skids to a halt, sword in hand and ready for battle. He sees Noctis bent over, sobbing into Prompto's chest. Slowly Gladio approaches, reaching out to grasp Noctis' shoulder, “Noct? Hey, back up so I can take a look at him.” Noctis shakes his head, refusing to meet Gladio's eyes as he holds Prompto tightly. “Noct, if he's injured he's gonna need help, just let me-”

 

Noctis shoves Gladio away roughly, “No! Don't touch him!”

 

“Noct...” Gladio's eyes land on Prompto's chest, revealed now that Noctis is sat up. A direct shot straight through the heart. Gladio takes a sharp breath, colour draining from his face, “Prompto...” He breathes as Noctis lowers his head again. Slowly Gladio crouches beside his King, he puts a gentle hand on his shoulder and closes his eyes, “Can you help me get him up? He...we can't leave him here,”  
  
Noctis takes a breath, lifting a shaking hand and wiping at his tears. Slowly he nods and rises, every movement jerky and uncoordinated. Gladio leans down and gently scoops Prompto up, watching as his head falls back over his arm. He's heavy, too heavy for someone of Prompto's size and weight. Gladio swallows thickly, tearing his eyes away from his friend's face and looking up. Together he and Noctis make their way back down the train.  
  
They find Ignis sitting alone in the empty diner carriage, he looks up when he hears their footsteps. “Noct-” He halts as he senses something wrong, Gladio's weight is distributed strangely, he can hear it in the way he moves. “What happened? What's wrong?” He asks sharply, panic almost overtaking his sense as he rises and tries to move towards them, the table bumps into his hip and he curses, reaching out to slide his hand along it and guide himself forward. “Gladio? Noct? Where's Prompto?” For a moment he gets nothing but silence, “For the gods' sakes, tell me!” He demands, his voice rising in desperation.  
  
“We got him, Iggy,” Gladio begins, his voice thick with what can only be grief, “He's...right here.”  
  
Ignis feels Gladio move closer, he lifts a shaking hand and reaches out. His fingers brush soft hair, he moves his hand down, feeling a familiar nose and mouth. “...There's...No breath...” He mutters, adjusting his hand to find Prompto's neck, pressing two fingers to where the pulse should be. Nothing. Not even a flutter. He snatches his hand back, stepping back and bashing his hip against the table again. He grabs it to steady himself, his knees feeling weak as he slowly sits himself back down. “What happened?” He asks, voice roughened by pain, “How did he...?”

 

Gladio turns to Noctis expectantly after laying Prompto down on a nearby seat, the train trundles onward, barrelling straight for Tenebrae. Noctis stares blankly out the shattered window, “I killed him.” He rasps, his tears long since dried, “It was me...with his own gun...”

 

“Preposterous! Why would you-” Ignis cuts himself off when Noctis heaves in a great sob, he hears him fall into a seat close by, “Oh...oh Noct...” He whispers.  
  
“We need to know what happened, Noct.”

 

“I saw...Ardyn.” Noctis begins, head low, fingers curled into fists as he forces the story through numb lips. He explains in halting words how he chased Ardyn down the train only to lose him when the train came to a stop. He explains how he and Prompto had fought the MT's, how he'd taken down the air ships and then, when he had returned to the train, he had seen Ardyn pointing his gun at Prompto. He pauses then, taking several deep breaths before continuing, he tells them how he had disarmed Ardyn and then taken his gun and shot him. Only...it hadn't been Ardyn. It had been Prompto. He had shot Prompto through the chest. He had killed him. _Murdered_ him. He can feel Gladio watching him, Ignis listening in horrified silence until he finally finishes. His breath hitches and that gulf of emptiness that has plagued him since Luna's death opens up so wide it threatens to swallow him whole.  
  
“I-It was a mistake.” Ignis says shakily, “No one could have known...” He reaches out, fingers touching Noctis' wrist but the King yanks his hand back with a furious growl, Ignis hears him stand. “Noct, please-”

 

“Leave me alone.” He spits, fury thick in his voice, “Just...leave me. I...” Noctis hesitates, “I can't do this anymore...”  
  
Ignis hears the tinkle of something metal hit the table, Gladio gasps and rises turning after Noctis, “Hey! Noct! Get back here!”

 

“Leave him.” Ignis mutters, fingers finding the cool metal ring and curling around it tightly, “Just let him go.”  
  
“What're you saying, Iggy?! He's...he's grieving, blaming himself for something he couldn't've helped...if he leaves now...if he goes everything we've been through'll be pointless! Luna's death, Prompto's...The King's...My _dad's_ death would've been for nothing! We can't turn back now-”

 

Ignis rises unsteadily, forcing Gladio to grab him by the elbow, “We can...” He swallows tightly, fingers gripping the ring hard enough to leave indents in his fingers, “We can because if we don't...i-if we continue onward...he...” Ignis snaps his mouth shut and shakes his head, “I can't take any more.” He whispers.  
  
“Iggy, what're you saying? You know something we don't.”

 

Ignis looks up towards Gladio's voice and smiles bitterly, “Noctis needs time to grieve, Gladio. At least give him that.”  
  
Gladio watches Ignis shuffle past him a moment, uncertain what he meant by his cryptic words. He hadn't denied knowing more than he was letting on. Finally he forces air into his lungs and stuffs all his emotions as far down as they will go, he bends to pick up Prompto's body and holds it close. Around them the train slows, in the near distance Gladio can see the spires of Fenestala Manor. “Hey kid, look at that. You always wanted to see this place right? Don't worry, you're gonna be in good company here, I promise.”  
  
Tenebrae doesn't look any different than when Noctis had been there as a child, he stands on a cliff edge and looks up at the manor, his mind filled with memories of laughter and Luna's pretty smile. Somewhere down the hill he can hear an impromptu funeral, someone droning pointless words and praying to pitiless gods. Noctis lifts a bottle to his lips, taking several deep gulps before wiping his mouth on the back of one shaking hand. The alcohol stings and burns going down, his eyes water but he blinks it away. Drinking has given him a numbness that allows him to remember without bearing the full force of his pain and guilt.  
  
_Only the true king, anointed by the Crystal, can purge our star of its scourge...  
_

Noctis closes his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth as his chest swells with pain again. It threatens to throw him to his knees, to rip the breath from his lungs. He doesn't want it anymore, this terrible burden that was forced upon him by gods who cared nothing for him. He looks back up at the sky, wondering if he's even able to just walk away from it all, to end it.  
  
“Noct?”

 

Noctis flinches, twitching as he lifts the bottle again and sips. He's a little unsteady due to the drink as he hunches his shoulder's as if to protect himself from Ignis' words. He remains silent.  
  
“Noct, you missed the burial.” Ignis approaches warily, one hand out and the other gripping his stick tightly, “Prompto would have liked it here-”

 

“Prompto's dead, Iggy.” Noctis snaps, ignoring his friends wince, “He's gone. Like Luna, like dad...like everything. We're alone now.” He drinks again, realising the bottle is empty he lifts it and tosses it into the cavern yawning at his feet, “And it's all my fault.”

 

“No...none of this is your fault-”

 

“Why don't you and Gladio blame me?” He asks abruptly, hands curling into fists as he wishes he had another drink, “After...after everything I've done...all the mistakes I've made...”

 

“The blame lies solely at the feet of the Empire, Noct. You cannot blame yourself for things you have no control over.”

 

“Dad wouldn't've made these mistakes.” Noctis whispers, lowering his head and wrapping his arms tightly around his stomach.  
  
“Perhaps, we don't know what he would or would not have done. Thinking like that will only bring you more pain. It's pointless to-”

 

“Iggy?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I'm going on alone.”  
  
Ignis freezes, hand clenching on his stick and lips parting as shock renders him mute. Finally he finds his voice again, “Noct, don't be stupid! You cannot possibly believe that you can storm Gralea alone!”

 

“They're expecting all of us...if only I go then there's no risk that anyone else will get hurt because of me.”

 

“I will not simply stand by and let-”

 

Noctis takes a breath, turning around, “This isn't up for negotiation! You'll remain behind with Gladio to see to the refugees. This is a command from your _King_.”

 

Ignis goes very still, he hears Noctis walk past him, feels the displaced air before he stalks off into the night. For years Gladio had tried to get Noctis to act like a King, for years Noctis had resisted...Ignis takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He turns away and starts to make his slow, careful way back down the hill to speak to Gladio.

 

Gladio finds Noctis curled up in a seat on the train, head buried in his knees and several empty bottles of booze scattered around him. He reeks of it, as if he's sitting in a fog of alcohol. Gladio takes a breath and stands above him, “Ignis told me what you said,” He says, unable to keep the sound of betrayal out of his voice.  
  
“Then you know not to question my orders.” Noctis mumbles to his knees, not even giving Gladio the courtesy of eye contact.  
  
“Of course I'm duty bound to follow orders, your majesty, but not if they're fucking stupid.”

 

Noctis' head finally lifts, giving Gladio a full view of his empty eyes, “You can't.”

 

“I can. I just have.”  
  
“I'm ordering-”

 

“I take orders from my King, not some drunken kid. I know, it hurts but sometimes we just gotta grin and bear it. You're not the only one who's lost people, Noct. We all loved Prompto-”

 

“And I killed him!” Noctis spits, rising and swaying as flames flicker at his finger tips. He takes two steps towards Gladio, fury turning his eyes purple as magic swirls around him in a whirlwind, “I murdered him, Gladio! Nothing can change that! Because of me my father died! Because of me Luna was stabbed to death! When is it gonna be your turn, huh? Or Iggy's? Iggy nearly died in Altissia and it's all. Because. Of. _Me_!” The upholstery of the seat erupts into flames, crackling hungrily as they leap up to scorch the side of the train car. Noctis doesn't heed it as he comes to stand close enough to his shield to touch, it's then that Gladio notices something in his eyes, something that looks like a crimson glow. He swallows and takes a step back, his arms dropping to his sides and fingers twitching as alarm bells ring.  
  
“Noct, calm down! Fighting isn't gonna-”

 

Noctis laughs, the sound setting Gladio's teeth on edge. It's a dark, humourless sound and Gladio's stomach twists, “Fighting is all you're good at, Gladio.” Noctis' voice is harsh, totally unlike his usual soft tones as he shoves Gladio in the chest, his burning finger tips leaving behind a sooty residue. He storms past his shield and hesitates at the door, “What kinda King can't even protect his friends?” He mutters, voice low as he hangs his head and walks off, leaving Gladio alone with the memory of his empty eyes and the scent of sulphur and burnt leather.  
  
Ignis finds Noctis again sat in a field of sylleblossoms, he can smell them all around him and can hear Noctis' broken sobs in the still night air. He creeps closer, his stick guiding his steps until he finally reaches his King. He lowers himself to the floor and sits, “What do the stars look like?” He asks, interrupting Noctis' sniffs.  
  
“You can't see them. It's like...like there's something blocking them from view.”

 

“I see.” Ignis falls quiet, tipping his head back as a light breeze blows strands of hair back from his face, “I almost forgot, if you truly do intend to go on alone...you may need this.” He reaches out, holding his palm up to show Noctis the ring that sits innocently against his skin. Even as he holds it he can almost feel the power surging through the metal. It burns. Like wild flames, white hot. Ignis' hand trembles as Noctis' cold fingers brush his palm as he takes the ring from him. “Will you wear it?” He asks.  
  
Noctis stares down at the thing, the curse from the gods that had haunted his family for thousands of years. He clenches it in his fist and slowly rises, ahead of him is a deep crevasse, filled with darkness. Noctis walks to the edge, swaying as the breeze picks up. His father had died to protect the ring, Luna had nearly killed herself to bring it to him, Prompto had died...Noctis weighs it carefully and looks up at the Manor, pale as it sits on the cliff; dark and silent. It had once been filled with laughter, even Ravus had laughed as he watched his sister play in the courtyard. Noctis takes a breath, closing his eyes briefly. “Prompto always wanted to come here,” He whispers, Ignis is silent behind him, sitting with his knees drawn to his chest, “He wanted to meet Luna...he...he always smiled when I mentioned her. It's because of her that we met.” He lifts his arm, the wind picks up to toss his hair around his face, “I promised Luna I'd do it...but...I can't. I can't be the King everyone wants me to be...” With that he tosses the ring into the crevasse, watching the light from the lanterns flash off of it before it's swallowed up.


End file.
